1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the general art of hand tools, and to the particular field of hand tools used for applying coatings to substrates.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Finish work for a building often includes placing drywall and drywall compounds onto substrate elements, such as ceilings and/or walls of the building. This process is generally carried out by brushing or troweling drywall compound onto the chosen substrates.
The inventor has found that many people wish to vary the appearance of the walls and/or ceilings of their homes, offices or other buildings. Obviously, this can be achieved using various wall hangings such as pictures and the like. However, many people want more variety than such traditional elements can provide.
This additional variety can be achieved by applying designs to the walls and/or ceilings. Such designs can be effected using special moldings; however, this can be costly in both time and materials.
Another method of applying designs to walls and/or ceilings has included the use of templates. A template is placed on the wall or ceiling and paint applied. A design results. Yet another method of applying designs to a wall or ceiling has included the use of patterned paint rollers. Applying paint to a surface using a patterned paint roller is effective in applying a repeating pattern to a substrate,
While effective, the just-described methods of applying decorations to a wall or ceiling are merely two dimensional and thus the decorations are not truly unique and could be considered as mere variations of pictures and other wall hangings.
Therefore, there is a need for a means and method of applying decorations to a substrate that produce a unique decoration.
The inventor has found that sculptured decorations, that is decorations that stand out from a substrate, are quite popular. However, in the past, such sculptured decorations have required special tools and special processes and may require the services of a highly skilled specialist. These requirements can make such sculptured decorations expensive and also increase the time it takes to complete a job.
Therefore, there is a need for a means and method of applying sculptured decorations to a substrate.
Still further, there is a need for a means and method of applying sculptured decorations to a substrate in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
To be most unique, it is desirable that the sculptured decorations be varied and easily variable. A wide variety of patterns on either the ceilings or walls or both can add special uniqueness to any room. Furthermore, such patterns can be used to add or enhance a special style for a room. For example, a Victorian look for a room can be enhanced by special Victorian sculptures on the walls and/or on the ceiling of the room. Other styles include traditional, modern, old fashioned, contemporary, and the like. The styles are only limited by the imaginations and budget of the client and the decorator.
However, because such decorations are difficult and time consuming to produce, it can be costly to achieve a high degree of uniqueness.
Therefore, there is a need for a means and method of applying sculptured decorations to a substrate which can efficiently and in a cost effective manner produce a wide variety of designs.
Still further, once applied, many surface decorations which have been formed using presently-available means and methods may be degraded by washing. This is a significant drawback because room walls and ceilings must be washed from time to time. If the washing degrades the surface decorations, after some time these decorations will become something that the building owner did not purchase.
Therefore, there is a need for a means and method of applying sculptured decorations to a substrate that can be washed without significant degradation.
Still further, there are occasions when it is desirable to have a wide variety of different surface decorations on the same substrate in order to achieve a particular effect. However, if it is costly to execute such decorations, such variety cannot be achieved without significant expense and time.
Therefore, there is a need for a means and method of applying sculptured decorations to a substrate in which a wide variety of decorations can be applied to a single substrate in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
While some sculpturing can be achieved using special brushes and trowels that, for example, have serrated edges, these means and methods cannot achieve a wide variety of designs, some of which do not include lines and curves associated with such edges and brushes.
Therefore, there is a need for a means and method of applying sculptured decorations to a substrate that can achieve designs that vary from lines and curves associated with brushes and serrated edges.
It is a main object of the present invention to provide a means and method of applying decorations to a substrate that produce a unique decoration.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a means and method of applying sculptured decorations to a substrate.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a means and method of applying sculptured decorations to a substrate in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a means and method of applying sculptured decorations to a substrate which can efficiently and in a cost effective manner produce a wide variety of designs.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a means and method of applying sculptured decorations to a substrate that can be washed without significant degradation.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a means and method of applying sculptured decorations to a substrate in which a wide variety of decorations can be applied to a single substrate in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a means and method of applying sculptured decorations to a substrate that can achieve designs that vary from lines and curves associated with brushes and serrated edges.
These, and other, objects are achieved by a hand tool for decorating a substrate comprising an open top container unit; an applicator unit which is sized relative to said container unit to be received in said container unit; a handle on said applicator unit; and a relief pattern on one surface of said applicator unit having a substrate-contacting surface which is spaced from the one surface of said applicator unit and a multiplicity of compound-receiving cavities.
The hand tool is used by placing compound that will be used to form the sculptured decorations on the substrate in the container unit and then forcing the applicator unit into the container unit and into contact with the compound until some of the compound fills the cavities in the applicator unit relief pattern unit. Then, the applicator unit is withdrawn from the container unit and applied against the substrate and the relief pattern is compressed so the compound in the cavities is applied to the substrate. Some of the compound will adhere to the substrate and the applicator unit is removed from the substrate. The compound that remains will form a pattern that corresponds to the pattern on the applicator unit and will define the sculptured decoration on the substrate.
By changing applicator units, various sculptured decorations can be formed. Since it is quite easy to change applicator units, a great variety of different sculptured decorations can be formed in an easy and efficient manner. The compound can be any suitable compound, including drywall-type compound and thus will be very durable once applied. Even unskilled workers can apply the decorations due to the ease with which the hand tool is used and no special tools or skill is required to use the hand tool.